


approval ratings

by muslimsmoak



Series: star city politics [2]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Mayor Oliver Queen, One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-19 03:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14228298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muslimsmoak/pseuds/muslimsmoak
Summary: A snapshot of Oliver and his daughter during his time as mayor, the good and the bad that it brings such as serving muffins at City Hall meetings and a small snafu while participating in Career Day at her school.A sequel topolitical agendas





	approval ratings

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Rushnan, my fellow Bangladeshi babe who inspired this whole one-shot.

Being the mayor of a major metropolitan area had never been an easy job, but Oliver had been taking it to it quite well. Sometimes he had to make difficult decisions and settle for compromises that involved making a case for the betterment of the city, trying to console constituents that had long been forgotten by the system and more. Those often led to dips in his approval rating over the years. He knew he couldn’t please _everyone_ in the city, but no matter what happened or what decisions he had to make, his biggest fan would always stick by him, his 6-year-daughter Ada, the light of his life. And at the end of the day, her approval was all he needed.

\----------

At the beginning of each new term, Oliver had a tradition of making freshly baked muffins for the city hall staff at their first meeting. He had done it the day of his first term in an effort to ease his nerves about the job. Back then John had left for the army, Thea had left the team, and he and Felicity had broken up. While she had reassured him that he was going to do a fine job and be a great mayor, the nerves were still present. So Oliver channeled his nerves into his baking and made dozens of muffins, chocolate chip, blueberry, banana nut and many more for the staff as a small gesture. The muffins had gone over well and thus the tradition began.

 

As soon as Ada started walking and talking, she had insisted on joining her father on the day he brought muffins in, deeming herself the “little muffin fairy.” Soon Oliver’s tradition became their little tradition. The day before the meeting he would be cooped up in the kitchen, slaving away and baking and Ada would be by his side as his little helper. It was too early to determine whether she had inherited the Smoak cooking gene or the Queen cooking gene, so her duties were mainly mixing in the chocolate chips, making sure Eeyore didn’t get to the batter and keeping her daddy entertained throughout the whole process.

 

This year however, Ada had started school so it would be difficult for her to be her muffin fairy self , seeing how both her parents valued her education, but after some begging and pouting they had been convinced to let her go. Besides, an excused absence note from the city’s mayor held a lot of power within the school system.

 

So while it wasn’t “Take Your Daughter to Work Day,” Ada made her appearance to Star City Hall just like before with a wand in one hand and the other enclosed with her father’s hand ascending up the steps of the federal building.

 

“Do you think they’ll be happy to see me, Daddy?”

 

“Of course they will, sweetheart. Everyone loves my little muffin fairy.”

 

Ada blushed at her father’s statement.“And everyone loves your muffins, Daddy.”

 

As they walked inside the hall, the two headed towards the security enclosure when a guard, Jim greeted them.

 

“Morning, Mayor Queen.”

 

“Morning, Jim.”

 

“And good morning to you too, miss. Now who might you be?” he asked as he looked at Oliver asking for silent permission to lean down and approach his daughter, then kneeling down to face Ada.

 

“I’m the muffin fairy,” Ada answered with a smile.

 

“The muffin fairy, you say? Well, no one told me we had such an important guest coming today. Now, do I get to have one of your delicious muffins?” He asked.

 

“Of course. Daddy, muffin!” She exclaimed turning her head up to face her father. “Please” she added.

 

Oliver let go of her hand and squatted down opening up the large basket he held in the other, “Go ahead, Jim.”

 

“Thank you, Mayor Queen.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Ada answered before her father could respond.

 

Oliver tugged on their joined hands, “All right, come on, my little muffin fairy. Daddy doesn’t wanna be late to his meeting.”

 

He walked into the conference hall just in time, smiles everywhere from the staff when they saw the basket in his hand and little Ada.

 

“Morning, Mr. Mayor” Becky, his assistant greeted him. “Congrats again on the reelection win. You must be so proud of your dad, right, Ada?”

 

“Yep, Daddy’s the bestest mayor in the whole world.” She exclaimed smiling wide at Becky.

 

“He certainly is,” Becky replied as Oliver and Ada made their way to his seat. He dropped the basket onto the long conference table and picked Ada up, seating her in the chair that was meant to be his. What a cute picture it made, his daughter with her dirty blond curls cascading down her shoulder, her navy blue dress to match the blue of the suit he wore, the wand in her hand, and her small frame against the big black leather chair.

 

Oliver gazed down at her, making sure she was comfortable, she gave him a smile and he smiled back at her and turned to address the staff. He did the two buttons on his suit jacket more so as a nervous tic than to make a fashion statement.

 

“Good morning, everyone. I just wanna thank you all for continuing on with me for another term.”

 

Applause broke out congratulating Oliver on his re-election win. Oliver blushed and stuck his head down as if he was shy. Even after years of being mayor, sometimes he still couldn’t believe he had made it this far. Ada joined in on the applause, “Yay, Daddy!!!” clapping her little hands together with her wand still in her hand.

 

He raised his hand to signal for the applause to die down. “Thank you, thank you.”

 

“Now, for our first order of business this morning.” He turned and looked at Ada, giving her a small wink. “Ada, sweetheart, will you please do the honors?”

 

“Yes, Daddy.” She replied raising her arms out and wiggling her fingers, signaling to be picked up again. Oliver complied easily and set her down on the conference table. As he opened up the basket, everyone seated had shuffled their papers to sit on their laps, waiting in anticipation for the little girl, nay the muffin fairy.

 

She stood on the conference, feeling tall as she could reach her father so easily now. She dragged the basket to the middle of the rectangular table. She then proceeded to grab a muffin from the basket and distribute them amongst the staff, with a flourish of her wand with each person, “One for you, and one for you. Can’t forget about you. You get one too….” as she made her way around the table.

 

As everyone got their muffins, she turned to face her father and ran across the table, “Daddy, catch me!!!!”

 

She leaped into Oliver’s arms and he caught her in a tight hug as he chuckled at the mischievousness of his little girl.

 

“Daddy,” she whispered.

 

“Yes, sweetheart?”

 

“You smell like muffins.”

 

He smiled, he held her head in one hand and brought her to his eye level, “Well, guess what?” So do you!” As he proceeded to tickle her with his scruff. She burst into laughter, after a few seconds he stopped and set her down, one hand in hers.

 

He cleared his throat, converting back to his professional self, “Um...Becky, could you please escort our little fairy to my office where she can color on my desk and be supervised?”

 

Becky, finishing off the last crumbs of her blueberry muffin sat up, “Of course, sir.” She walked over to the two and offered her hand to Ada’s. Ada turned to her father, asking for permission which he nodded and she took Becky’s hand and left the conference room.

 

Oliver unbuttoned his jacket, this time for comfort and sat in his chair and leaned forward. “Now onto our next order of business.”

 

\----------

“And that’s all for today. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my office. There is one constituent in particular I have to go see and she is not very patient” Oliver joked. He adjourned the meeting and everyone went their separate ways.

 

As he exited the conference room, Becky was waiting outside. “How is she? Who’s watching her right now?” Oliver’s immediate attention to his daughter.

 

“She’s been coloring in your office, happily I might add.” Oliver smiled. “And I left Carol to watch her as I came to grab you.

 

They walked back to his office as they discussed his schedule for the rest of the day, his missed calls, important meetings, documents that needed to be looked over and etc. He had a free hour before his next meeting and then lunch.

 

He walked into his office, door opening wide causing Ada to stop her coloring and look up, “Daddy!!!! Are you done mayoring for the day?”

 

He acknowledged Carol as she left the office. “Nope, not yet, sweetie.” He walked up to the desk and stood next to her in his chair.

 

“Look, Daddy. It’s me and Will and the baby.” She pointed to the drawing she was working on, just one of many drawings she had made since she left the conference room.

 

“It’s beautiful, sweetheart.” He smiled at the drawing. He was pleased that Ada was reacting well to the addition in their family. Both she and Will had, actually. They were turning out to be great big siblings.

 

He turned the chair to face him and squatted down so he could look at Ada, “Can Daddy sit with you, Ada?”

 

She pursed her lips in an all too familiar manner. Oliver grinned at how in that moment, she was so much like her mother, his wife, his Felicity. He stared into her bright blue eyes and waited for her answer. She nodded her head yes, the curls in her hair bouncing with her. He took Ada in his arms and sat back in his chair with Ada on his lap, her back to his chest. Now the two of them could work, he on the documents on the proposal he needed to review and sign off on, and Ada on her coloring.

 

Time had passed and when Oliver finished reading the proposal, he sighed in relief and leaned back to relax in the chair.

 

Ada turned in his lap to face him. “Daddy, is everything okay?”

 

He rubbed his forehead, tension forming in his head, “Daddy just has to make some choices that some people won’t like. But I have to do it because it’s gonna help the city later on. Daddy’s just stressed.”

 

“Can I help?” She asked worriedly.

 

“I’ll be fine, sweetheart.” Sensing the worry in her father’s voice, Ada wrung her arms around his neck and nestled her head against his shoulder, hugging him.

 

“Why don’t you talk to me, distract me? Tell me about school. What’s going on in school?” Oliver asked.

 

“Well, I don’t know what happened today because I’m here with you. Silly daddy.” Oliver chuckled at her teasing him.

 

“Oh, I’m silly? I’ll show you who’s silly” as he moved his arms and started tickling her sides. She screamed with laughter as she moved, trying to defend herself from this surprise attack.

 

“Stop, Daddy, that tickles.”

 

He leaned forward and brought his prickly stubble into the mix, “Say you’re silly and Daddy will stop.”

 

Still screaming, she exclaimed “I’m silly. I’m silly. I’m silly!!!” He stopped the tickling and brought his arms to rest on the chair.  

 

A knock on the door stopped his thoughts as Becky peeked her head in. “Sir, your next meeting.”

 

Oliver sighed, “Thank you, Becky.” He sat Ada up on his desk and leaned forward to be face-to-face with her. “Don’t get into any trouble, got it?” Oliver booped her nose.

 

“Got it” she replied nodding her head.

 

“I’ll be back soon and we’ll go have lunch with mom.”

 

“Mommy!!!!!!” she screamed in excitement.

 

Wincing at her shrieks being in close proximity to her, “Ada”

 

“Oops, sorry.”

 

“I’ll be back.”

 

“Okay, Daddy.”

 

“I love you, my baby girl.”

 

“Love you too.” He placed a kiss on her forehead and sat up, sitting her back in his chair and secured her.

 

Oliver was walking out of his office as Becky was walking in, knowing she would look over his daughter while he went off to his meeting with the city counselors.

 

\----------

Oliver held Ada’s hand in his as they walked up to the entrance of the school, Starling Preparatory Academy, the premiere primary education facility in Star City. When they first enrolled Ada, Oliver was glad the effects of his old reputation had finally faded away when the principal, a Mr. Peter McLean didn’t groan when he heard the last name “Queen.”

 

It was Career Day in Ada’s classroom and he and Felicity had agreed on his going. Not only was he genuinely interested in attending, it was also an attempt to sway the public eye after a controversial proposal of his reached the media. The proposal was causing some damage with his approval rating, but he had faith the public would soon see that the plan would help more than it hurt. He was excited to tell Ada’s classmates about being mayor and running city hall. He had even baked the class some chocolate chip cookies, determined to win over the 5-6 year-olds. He certainly wasn’t trying to turn Career Day into a competition, but leading the city and baked goods certainly helped his chances.

 

“Come on, Daddy. We’re gonna be late.” Oliver secured the Tupperware on his other hand and let himself be tugged by his daughter. They made it inside the building and she led them down the halls, Oliver stealing glances of his old alma mater as his little speedster pushed them along, stopping right in front of her classroom where her teacher, a petite olive-skinned woman with brown hair by the name of Sayna Coleman.

 

“Good morning, Mrs. Coleman.”

 

“Good morning, Ada…. and Mister Mayor.” Mrs. Coleman greeted the two.

 

“Good morning, Mrs. Coleman. It’s great to see you again.” Oliver let go of Ada’s hand to formally greet her teacher.

 

“Are you two ready for Career Day?”

 

Ada nodded her head, “Yes. Daddy’s gonna tell everyone about being mayor and how he saves the city.”

 

Oliver coughed at Ada’s choice of words but played it cool. Ada raced off to her desk and Oliver followed behind.

 

\----------

 

“Thank you for that demonstration on the Heimlich maneuver, Mr. Richards. Give him a round of applause, class.” Both children and adults clapped as the burly man made his way to the back of the classroom where all the other adults were located.

 

“Next up is Ada’s father, the Mayor, Mister Queen.” More applause followed as Oliver bustled his way through to the front of the classroom.

 

“Thank you, Mrs. Coleman.” He met his daughter’s eyes as he scanned the room full of children, she smiled and waved at him and he returned her smile. “I hope everyone enjoyed the cookies I brought in today.” he started off.

 

He clapped his hands together, “Now, being mayor has been a great experience for me. IT certainly does come with its perks and privileges. Throwing the first pitch at the Rockets game, to name one.” He chuckled. He cleared his throat, changing the tone in his speech, “But it’s not all fun and games. There are times when you have to toughen up and make some decisions that not everyone will agree with.”

 

Despite the distance between him and the other parents, he could still hear their murmurs, no doubt thinking about the proposal that landed in his lap last week at City Hall.

 

He continued, “But you have to do what you think is right, even if others don’t see it that way. You just have to have faith that the city will see that you’re trying to do is help.”

 

He was trying to find his train of thought when a familiar voice spoke up, “Tell them what else you do, Daddy!!!” Ada shouted, raising her hand up high.

 

“Ada,” Mrs. Coleman said in a stern tone.

 

Oliver gestured with his hand, “It’s fine, it’s fine.”

 

“You cook, and bake, and you do braids really good. Just as good as Mommy!!!”

 

Oliver laughed at her words, “That is true, I don’t consider myself a MasterChef by any means, but I do dabble in the kitchen. And braiding can be a little difficult when you’re not used to dealing with so much hair, you know?” The other dads in the room laughing as Oliver pointed to his short cut hair.

 

“And then sometimes at night, he and mommy go out and dress up in leather!!!!!”

 

The room fell silent. Parents’ eyes widened and stared at Oliver. Oliver gulped, taking in his daughter’s words.

 

“What does that mean?” A little boy shouted.

 

“Do all mommies and daddies dress up in leather?” A girl asked.

 

“Um…. um….” Oliver was searching for an answer, any answer that would get him out of the predicament he was in right now.

  


He might be a crime-fighting hero at night, but that morning, Mrs. Coleman was his hero, stepping in and saving him. “Oooookay, that’s enough from Mr. Queen today. Why don’t you all give him a round of applause” She went up to him and directed him towards the back of the classroom to rejoin the other parents.

 

“We’ll discuss what Ada said after class,” she whispered to him.

 

\-----------

 

“What do you mean his approval rating up from this mishap?” Felicity exclaimed.

 

It had been a week since the incident at Career Day. Both Oliver and Felicity had talked with Ada about the whole ordeal. Both Oliver and Felicity were used to the media circus surrounding them, but this was certainly a first for them. Oliver was used to being called down by Richard but Felicity wasn’t. She had her own media liaison for Smoak Tech, but being called in Mr. Park was a different matter altogether.

 

Oliver was equally as confused as his wife, “The people do realize what Ada’s words were implying, right?”

 

“Oh, the public’s very aware of the implications of your daughters’ words.”

 

“But isn’t this cause for a public scandal?” Oliver asked.

 

“What Oliver means is that usually, something like this would depreciate a mayor’s approval ratings. Besides we don’t even- I mean there was that one time…” Oliver coughed, stopping Felicity’s words, reminding her of the not-so-private setting they were in.

 

“I don’t know what to tell you, Mr. and Mrs. Queen.”

 

“Smoak-Queen” Felicity corrected him.

 

“Smoak-Queen,” he repeated. “There’s just something about it. The First Couple with 3 children, one just recently being born and to see a couple in their prime engaging in ‘extracurricular activities’ such as that” Richard said in air quotes, “It’s completely drawn attention away from the city budget proposal.”

 

Oliver and Felicity sat there, taking in his words. “I wouldn’t put too much thought into it. The news cycle doesn’t last long. They’ll move onto something else. They always do. But we’ll put out a statement asking to respect your privacy, hoping to calm the waters.”

 

“Is that all?” Felicity asked.

 

“That’s all. You two may go.”

 

The two left his office.They were walking back to his office when Felicity burst out into laughter. Oliver was confused.

 

“Felicity”

 

“It seems to me that we have Ada to thank for the rise in your approval ratings, Mister Mayor. We should probably give her a reward for this,” Felicity joked. Oliver laughed with her. It did seem as though he owed his daughter for her accidental help. Just as long as she didn’t ask for another puppy.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Star City is weird, isn't it? Anyways, lemme know what you think. And if you're wondering about Every Breath You Take, an update is coming soon. This last month of the semester is really kicking me down so I don't wanna rush. Thanks for being patient with me.


End file.
